Leg-rest control linkage for multiple position chair



June 4, 1963 P. s. FLETCHER LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE FOR MULTIPLE POSITION CHAIR Original Filed July 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l m m V m PETER 5. FLE H BY 2 8 ATTOQNEYS LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE FOR MULTIPLE POSITION CHAIR Original Filed July 10, 1958 June 4, 1963 P. s. FLETCHER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. PETER 6. FLETCHER,

June 4, 1963 P. s. FLETCHER LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE FOR MULTIPLE POSITION CHAIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed July 10, 1958 FIG. 5.

FIG. 6.

K RM m C NT EE VL NF 3 m T E P III A TTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,992,415 Patented June 4, 1963 3,092,416 LEG-REST CONTROL LENKAGE FOR MULTWLE PQSITION CHAIR Peter S. Fletcher, Delray Beach, Fla., assignor to Anton Lorenz, Boynton Beach, Fla.

Original application July 10, 1958, Ser. No. 747,748, new Patent No. 2,940,509, dated June 14, 1960. Divided and this application June 13, 1960, Ser. No. 35,674

9 Claims. (Cl. 29789) The present invention relates to improvements in multiple position reclining chairs, and in particular relates to new and improved leg-rest actuating means for chairs of this type.

This application contains subject matter identical to that disclosed in my co-pending United States Patent application, Serial No. 747,748, filed July 10, 1958, and entitled Multiple-Position Chair, now Patent No. 2,940,- 509, issued on June 14, 1960, and constitutes a division of said co-pending application.

Multiple position reclining chairs are characterized by their ability to be brought from an upright sitting position to an intermediate, tilted sitting position, and then, if desired, to a fully-tilted or reclining position. In the tilted sitting position, the seat and back-rest are only slightly inclined or tilted. The occupants legs, however, are supported in an elevated, outstretched condition. This represents an active position in which the chair occupants body is disposed in a substantially upright attitude with his head facing forwardly, and the occupant is in position to read, view television, hold conversations, and the like. In the fully-tilted position, the occupants legs are still supported in an outstretched condition, but his body is supported in a reclining position with his eyes directed upwardly for maximum relaxation.

My aforementioned co-pending US. patent application, Serial No. 747,748 disclosed means for guiding the seat and back-rest unit through its various positions. The present application is concerned with means for actuating the leg-rest of the chair in such a manner that it is brought to an extended leg-supporting position forwardly of the seat when the seat and back-rest are brought to their intermediate, tilted sitting position, and is then maintained extended in proper leg-supporting position When the seat and back-rest are brought to their fully-tilted position.

An object of the invention, therefore, is the provision of leg-rest actuating means operable in response to movement of the seat and back-rest to raise the leg-rest from a retracted position beneath the seat to an extended posi tion forwardly of the seat when the seat and back-rest are brought to their intermediate, tilted sitting position, and then to maintain the leg-rest in its extended position forwardly of and substantially at the level of the front end of the seat, when the seat and back-rest are brought to their fully-tilted position.

Another object of the invention is the provision of leg rest actuating means of the type described which is eifec tive to elevate the leg-rest through a long path in response to short movement of the seat and back-rest and then move the leg-rest through a relatively shorter path in response to greater movement of the seat and back-rest.

A further object of the invention is the provision of leg-rest actuating means of the type described which is formed of a single link so positioned and dimensioned as to perform the proper actuating function in both motion phases.

In accordance with the invention herein, there is provided in a multiple position reclining chair, a leg-rest control linkage carrying the leg-rest and guiding the same for movement between retracted position beneath the seat and an extended position forwardly of the seat, and actuating means for the control linkage in the nature of a control link. The leg-rest control linkage includes a legrest link pivotally mounted on the seat and the control link is connected to the leg-rest link by an actuating pivot. The actuating pivot has three respective positions respectively corresponding to each selected position of the legrest in the upright sitting, intermediate tilted sitting, and fully-tilted positions of the body-supporting unit, and the actuating link is pivotally mounted on the chair support frame at a point which is at the center of the circle defined by the three respective positions of the actuating pivot. In this manner, the actuating link is effective to elevate the leg-rest to its extended position when the bodysupporting unit is brought to its intermediate, tilted sitting position, and then by further continuous actuation to maintain the leg-rest in proper leg-supporting position substantially at the level of the forward end of the seat when the body-supporting unit is then moved to its fully-tilted position.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a multiple position reclining chair incorporating the leg-rest actuating means of the present invention, with portions of the chair broken away and shown in section to reveal inner construction, the chair being shown in its upright sitting position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing in full line the chair in its intermediate or active tilted sitting position with the leg-rest in its extended position, and showing in broken line or phantom, the chair in its fully-tilted or inactive position, the leg-rest linkage in this latter position being illustrated schematically;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner in which the location of the pivotal mount of the leg-rest actuating link is determined;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic View similar to FIG. 3, but further showing the relationship between the pivotal mount of the actuating link and the pivotal mount of the bodysupporting unit;

FIG. 5 is an elevational View, with portions broken away and shown in section, of another emodiment of reclining chair incorporating leg-rest actuating means made in accordance with the invention herein, the chair being shown in its upright, sitting position; and,

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the chair shown in FIG. 5, the chair being illustrated in full line in its intermediate, tilted sitting position and in broken line in its fully-tilted position.

Referring in detail to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an illustrative example of a reclining chair incorporating the invention herein and designated generally by the reference numeral 10. This reclining chair 10 is of the multiple-position type in that it is capable of being brought from an upright sitting position, illustrated in FIG. 1, to an active intermediate,

tilted sitting position shown in full line in FIG. 2, and thence may be brought to an inactive fully-tilted position, shown in broken link in FIG. 2.

The reclining chair includes a base or support frame 12 having spaced side walls 14 interconnected by suitable cross rods or braces 30 and 34. 'The chair also includes a body-supporting unit designated generally by the reference numeral 16 which comprises a seat 18 and a backrest 20 formed integrally with each other or rigidly connected to each other to form an integral rigid body-supporting unit. This body-supporting unit 16 is movably mounted on the support12 for movement relative thereto to the two inclined positions previously described.

The seat 18 has a depending bracket member 22 rigidly mounted thereon slightly to the rear of the center of said seat 18. The bracket 22 is connected at its bottom end by a pivot 24 to a support bar 26. This support bar 26 is pivotallymounted on the support 12 by a pivot 28 and is normally maintained in the horizontal position, shown in FIG. 1, and in full line in FIG. 2, resting upon a cross brace or stop member 30 which is rigidly andimmovably connected between the side walls 14 of the support 12. In moving from the upright sitting position of FIG. 1 to the intermediate, tilted sitting position shown in full line in FIG. 2, the body-supporting unit 16 pivot-s about the pivot24, the support bar 26 remaining in its horizontal positionin abutment with the cross brace 30 and the pivot 24 serving in this instance as a fixed pivot which is immovable relative to the support frame 12. In the intermediate, tilted sitting position of FIG. 2, the bracket .22 engages and is stopped from further pivoting movement by a stop member 32 which is fixedly and immovably mounted on the support-bar 26.

In moving from the intermediate, tilted sitting position shown in full line in FIG. 2, to the fully reclined position 4 tion shown in full line in FIG. 2, the forward end of the seat 18 is moved rearwardly and upwardly and carries with it the link 48. This movement moves the seat pivot 56 closer to the pivot 64 on the support which causes the actuating link 62 to push the leg-rest link 48 forwardly and upwardly, raising the leg-rest control linkage 38 and bringing the leg-rest 36 to its extended position. A stop element 68 is fixed to the link 4-2 intermediate the pivots 54 and 60, said stop element 68' being positioned to enshown in broken line in FIG. 2, the unit 16 pivots about the pivot 28, the link 26 rising from its seatedpo-sition upon the cross brace 30 and pivoting in fixed relation to the bracket 22 to permit this further movement.

In the fully reclined position shown in broken line in FIG. 2, the rear portion of the seat 18 engages a cross brace 34 which is fixedly secured to the support frame 12, the cross brace 34 serving as to stop to prevent further rearward tilting'movement of the body-supporting unit 16 past its fully reclined position.

The reclining chairrll) also includes a leg-rest 3 6 which is mounted on a leg-rest control linkage designated generally by the reference numeral 38 in such a manner that upon rearward tilting of the body-supporting unit 16, the leg-rest 36 is raised from the retracted position of FIG. 1', in which it is located beneath the forward end of the seat 18, to the extended position of FIG. 2 in which it is located forwardly of and substantially at the level of the forward end of the seat 18 i The leg-rest control linkage 38' includes a pair of links 40 and 42 connected at spaced points to the leg-rest 36 by a respective pair of pivots 44 and 46. At its rear end the link 49 is connected to a link 48 by a pivot 59, and the link 42 is connected at its rear end to a link 52 by pivot 54. The free end of the link 48 is pivotally mounted on the forward end of the seat 18 by a pivot 56. The free end of the link 51 is pivotally mounted on the support 12 by apivotSS. Thelink 42 crosses the link 48 and is pivotally connected thereto at its crossing-over point by a pivot 60.

The leg-rest control'linkage 38 is actuated by an actuat .ing link 62, one end of which is pivotally mounted on the support12 by a pivot 64 and theother end of which is connected to the link 48 by a pivot 66 at a point intermediate the pivots 56 and 60. The pivot 66 represents the point of actuation of the leg-rest control linkage 38 and is therefore designated as an factuating pivot.

In general terms, it may be explained that when the body-suporting unit 16 is moved from itsupright sitting position of FIG. 1 to the intermediate, tilted sitting posigage the link 48 in the intermediate, tilted sitting position shown in full line in FIG. '2. This engagement of the stop element 68 with the link 48 maintains a fixed angular relationship between the links 42 and 48, so that the leg rest is maintained or locked in its extended posit-ion when the body-supporting unit 16 is moved from the tilted sitting position shown in full line in FIG. 2 to the fully-tilted position shown in broken link in FIG. 2. In this movement from the intermediate, tilted sitting position to the fully-tilted position, the actuating link 62 pivots continuously from a relatively horizontal position to a relatively vertical upright position, carrying the seat pivot 56 away from the pivot 64 on the support. Duringsuch movement, the links 42 and 52 pass through an in-line, dead center position. The stop element 63 insures that these links pass back through the dead center position when the body-supporting unit is returned from the fullytilted position to the intermediate position.

When a person is seated in the reclining chair 10 in the upright sittingposition of FIG. 1 and wishes to move to a rearwardly tilted position, he applies rearward pressure to the back-rest 20, causing the body-supporting unit 16 to pivot about the pivot 24 until the bracket 22 engages the stop 32 and the unit 16 is retained in its intermediate or active tilted position. Thus, the bracket 22 and pivot 24 may be designated as a first guiding means which guides the unit 16 in a first path of movement from the upright siting position to the intermediate, tilted sitting position. In this position, the actuating link 62 has raised the leg-rest control linkage 33, and leg-rest 36 is brought to the extended position forwardly of and at the level of the front of the seat 18. This intermediate, tilted sitting position, shown in full line in FIG. 2, represents an active sitting position in which the users legs are raised and supported by the leg-rest 36 and in which the users body is slightly tilted to the rear but is still in a relatively upright sitting position in which the user may view television, read or the like.

'Ifthe user then wishes to move to a more fully tilted position, he shifts his weight rearwardly and applies a greater pressure to the back-rest 20 causing the bodysupportingunit 16 to pivot further rearwardly about the pivot 28, and moving the body-supporting unit to the fully tilted position shown in broken line in FIG. 2, in which the rear of the unit engages and is stopped by the cross brace 34. The leg-rest control linkage 38 during this second movement phase is locked by the stop: element 68 and moves as a unit with the forward end of the seat 18 with little change in its position relative thereto. This fully tilted position represents a position of relaxation in which the users body is supported in an inactive condition.

In moving from the intermediate, tilted sitting position to the fully-tilted position, the unit 16 can no longer turn about pivot 24 because the bracket 22 is engaged with thestop 32 and bracket 22 is thus locked rigidly to support bar 26. The center of rotation is thus shifted rearwardly to. pivot 28. The pivot 28 may thus be designated as second guiding means which guides the unit about a second path of movement from the intermediate tilted sitting position to the fully-tilted position.

FIG. 3 shows the manner in which the arrangement of the leg-rest control linkage 38 and actuating link 62 is determined to produce the desired actuation of the legrest 36. In this regard, it will. be understood that the operation of actuating link 6-2 must be such that it raises the leg-rest rapidly through a long path during the first motion phase in response to the first movement of the body-supporting unit 16, and then moves the leg-rest through a shorter path of movement during the second motion phase in response to a relatively large tilting movement of the body-supporting unit. Thus, during the first motion phase, the leg-rest 36 is moved from its retracted position to an extended position forwardly of the seat 18 and substantially at the level of the forward end thereof, and in the second motion phase, the leg-rest 1 8 is merely maintained at the level of the seat forward portion with little or no displacement relative to the seat. The structure of the present invention permits this dual leg-rest movement in the two motion phases to be performed by a single actuating link 62.

Since the seat 18 travels through two difierent paths of movement during the two motion phases, a complex actuating linkage would seem to be required for producing first a long leg-rest movement and then a shorter leg-rest movement. It was found, however, that if the leg-rest control linkage were mounted at least in part on the seat so as to follow the seat movement, a single actuating link could be employed to produce both desired movements of the leg-rest if the actuating link were mounted on the support frame in the proper location. Knowing the desired positions of the leg-rest in each of the positions of the chair, the corresponding positions of the leg-rest control linkage 38 can also be determined, and a mounting point for a single actuating link can be located.

With reference to FIG. 3, it will be explained that the location and length of the actuating link 62 is preliminarily determined by first laying out the desired positions of the leg-rest 36 in each of the three chair positions, namely the upright sitting position, the intermediate, tilted sitting position, and the fully-tilted, reclined position. From these three desired positions of the leg-rest 36 the positions of the corresponding point actuation,

namely pivot 66, can be determined and plotted. FIG. 3

shows this plotting, the position of actuating pivot 66 in the upright sitting position being shown at 66a, its position in the tilted sitting position being shown at 66b, and its position in the fully-tilted position being shown at 660.

The points 66a and 66b are then connected by a straight line A, and the points 66b and 660 are connected by a straight line B. Perpendicular bisectors C and D are-then extended from the respective lines A and B until they meet at point E. This point E represents the pivotal point for the actuating link 62, namely the fixed pivot 64 in FIG. 1.

It will thus be apparent that if the actuating link 62 is mounted on the support frame 16 by pivot 64 at the point B located by the procedure just described, and is connected at point 66 to the leg-rest link 48, it will move the leg-rest 36 to each of its three desired positions.

It is obvious that where the leg-rest 36 is moved rapidly relative to the seat during the first motion phase, the actuating pivot 66 must have a long movement relative to the seat and the leg-rest link 48 must turn at a rapid rate. This means that the pivotal mount 64 of the link 62 must be remote and out of alignment with the pivotal mount 24 of the seat 18, or stated difierently, that the actuating pivot 66 and the pivot 56 have two widely different radii. In the second motion phase, however, it is desired that the leg-rest travel upwardly at substantially the same rate as the forward end of the seat, which means that the pivots 56 and 66 must have centers of rotation which are as close as possible. The optimum situation would be for the pivots 56 and 66 to turn about the same centers of rotation, which is of course impossible because in the second motion phase the pivot 66 turns about fixed pivot 64 while the pivot 56 on the seat turns about the fixed pivot 28. To produce the best movement under the circumstances, therefore, the position of pivot 64 must be 50 located that the line between pivots 64 6 and '66 and the line between pivots 66 and 28 be as close to co-linear as possible. Therefore, the location of pivot point 66 on the link 48 is so determined as to approximate this oo-axial relationship. The distance between the seat pivot 56 and the fixed pivot 64 is, therefore, increased during the second motion phase.

Thus, initially a point of actuation 66 on the leg-rest link 48 is arbitrarily selected and the pivot 64 is chosen to produce the desired elevation of the leg-rest during the first motion phase. At the same time, the pivot 64 is selected to satisfy as closely as possible the condition that the line between pivots 64 and 66 and the line between pivots 66 and 28 approach a co-linear relationship during the second motion phase.

It will now be appreciated that when the seat 18 is tilted rearwardly about pivot 24 through a short distance during the first motion phase, the pivot 56 on the seat turns about said pivot point 24 and moves toward the fixed pivotal mount 64 of the actuating link 62. The actuating link 62 turns upwardly about its fixed pivot 64 and exerts a pushing force on the leg-rest link 48 at the actuating point defined by pivot 66. The link 48 is therefore turned in a wide angle about pivot 56 from the rearwardly-extending position of FIG. 1 to the elevated, forwardly-extending position shown in solid line in FIG. 2. When the body-supporting unit-is further tilted about the fixed pivot 28, the pivot 66 is made to travel about the pivot 64. The location of pivot 64- is so chosen that there is one position during the second motion phase in which the radius joining pivots 66 and 64 is colinear with the radius joining pivots 66 and 28. This co-linear relationship is shown in FIG. 4 in which the line F, representing the radius joining pivots 66 and 28 is co-linear with the radius joining pivot 66 and point B (pivot 64), and the pivot 66 is located on line. F at point 660'. In this way, the pivot '66 in effect will move substantially as if it were mounted on a link which in turn was pivoted to the support frame co-axially with the pivot 28. Stated differently, the arcuate path G followed by the actuating pivot 66 is efieotively the same as the path H which pivot 66 would follow if it were carried 'by a link pivotally mounted at 28, and is therefore also eifectively the same as the path which pivot 56 follows. The legarest 36, therefore, follows the forward portion of seat 18 upwardly at approximately the same rate during the second motion phase with a'minimum of relative movement between said leg-rest and seat.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown a reclining chair 210 with a somewhat modified construction enabling it to be brought from an upright sitting position shown in FIG. 5 to an active, intermediate, tilted sitting position shown in full line in FIG. 6, and thence to an inactive, fully-tilted position shown in broken line in FIG. 6.

The chair 210 includes a support frame 212 having side walls 214 connected by cross-braces which include the cross braces 230, 234 and 288. The b odyasupporting unit 216 formed by. the rigidly connected seat 218 and back-rest 220 is mounted on the support 212 for mover ment to the active and inactive tilted positions. The mounting means is so constructed as to produce a movement which is different from that achieved in the chair 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2, that is to say, the movement of the body-supporting means to the intermediate, tilted stitting position is a pivotal movement about a fixed pivot point, and the further movement from the intermediate tilted sitting position to the fully til-ted position is a compound movement afiorded by a pair of guiding links.

The mounting means for the body-supporting unit 212 includes a bracket 222 fixed to the seat 218 and depending from the lower surface thereof at a point rearwardly of the center of the seat. The lower end of the bracket 222 is connected by pivot 224 to an intermediate portion of a support bar 226 which carries a stop member 23 2. The support bar 226 is mounted on the support 212 by 7 a pair of guiding links 276 and 278, The guiding links 276 and 278 are connected at one end to the opposite ends of the support bar 226 by respective pivots 28d and 282, and are connected at their other ends to the support 212 'by respective pivots 284 and 286.

The support bar 226 is normally maintained in the horizontal position shown in FIG. 5 by the weight of the body-supporting unit, the end of support bar 226 resting upon the cross-brace 230 which acts as a support to prevent the bar 226 from moving downwardly due to [forward pivoting movement of the guiding links 276 and 278. It will also be noted that in the upright sitting position of FIG. 5, the seat 218 rests upon and is supported :by the cross-brace 288' which is located forwardly of the bracket 222 and acts as a stop to prevent the bodysuppor-ting unit 212 and its rigid bracket 222 from pivoting forwardly about the pivot 224.

When the person seated in the chair 2141 applies his weight rearwardly upon the back-rest 220*, the bodysupporting unit 216 pivots rearw-ardly about the pivot 224 until the depending bracket 222 engages the stop member 232 preventing further pivoting movement and defining the active, intermediate, tilted sitting position shown in full line in FIG. 6. This initial movement is a simple pivoting movement, the pivot 224 serving as a fixed pivot during this movement phase.

In the intermediate tilted position, the engagement of the bracket 222 with the stop member 232 affords a rigid and immovable connection between the bracket 222 and the support bar 226 insofar as further rearward movement is concerned. When the person in the intermediate, tilted sitting position then wishes to move to a fully tilted position, he applies his weight further upon the back-rest, and since the unit 216 is now locked against further pivoting movement about pivot 224, the support bar 2 26 is shifted rearwardly. This rearward shifting movement of link 226 is a compound movement afforded by the guiding links 276 and 27 8, the latter pivoting rearwardly about the respective pivots 284 and 286. It will be observed that the front guiding link 276 is longer and disposed at a more forwardly-inclined angle than the rear guiding link 278, so that when the link 276 translates rearwardly, the forward end thereof is raised relative tothe rear end and the body-supporting unit is further tilted rearwardly. The body-supporting unit 216 is stopped in its fully-tilted position, shown in broken line in FIG. 6, by engagement of its rear end portion with the cross-brace 234. 7

It will thus be apparent that the pivot 224 constitutes a first guiding means which permits movement of the body-supporting unit 216 about a first instantaneous center of rotation and along a first arcuate path ofmovement from the upright sitting position to the intermediate, tilted sitting position. The guiding links 276 and 278 constitute a second guiding means which guides the bodysu-pporting means about a second instantaneous center of rotation and along a second path in a compound movement from the intermediate, tilted sitting position to the fully tilted position. 1

The leg-rest 236 of the chair 210 is carried and guided by a control linkage 238 which includes links 240 and 242 connected to said leg-rest by respective spaced pivots 244 and 246. The ends of links 240 and 242- are connected to the ends of links 248 and 252 by'respective pivots 250 and 254. The links 250 and 254 are mounted on the seat 218 by respective pivots 256 and 258. At their crossing-over point, the links 242 and 248 are interconnected by pivot'260. V a c The leg-rest control linkage 238 is actuated by an actuating link 262 mounted at one end upon the support frame 212 by pivot 264,-and connected at its other end to an intermediate point on link 252 by a pivot 266. The pivot 266 represents thepoint of actuation of thecontrol linkage 238 and is therefore designated as an actuating pivot. When the body-supporting unit 212 is broughtto its intermediate, tilted sitting position shown in full line in FIG. 6, the pivot 258 is raised with the seat 218 and moved rearwardly closer to the pivot 264. This movement causes the actuating link 262 to pivot upwardly about pivot 264, raising the link 252, and actuating the leg-rest linkage 238 to bring the leg-rest 236 to its extended position shown in full line in FIG. 6.

When the body-supporting unit 216 is brought to its fully-tilted position, the pivot 258 is moved rearwardly of the fixed pivot 264, and the actuating link 262 pivots to a substantially upright position, shown in broken line in FIG. 6 to maintain the link 252 in its raised position and the leg-rest 236 in its extended position.

The size of the actuating link 262 and the location of its pivotal mount 264 on the support frame 212, are determined in the manner previously described and illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. It may be noted that in this instance, the pivotal movement of the body-supporting unit 216 during the second motion phase is about an instantaneous center of rotation which may be found by extending the longitudinal axes of the front and rear guiding links 276 and 278 to their point of intersection.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it is obvious that numerous additions, changes and omissions may be made in the structure and form of the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A multiple position reclining chair comprising a support frame, body-supporting means including a seat and back-rest mounted on the support frame for movement through a first motion phase from an upright sitting position to an intermediate, tilted sitting position, and through a second motion phase from said tilted sitting position to a fully-tilted positioma leg-rest, a leg-rest control linkage carrying the leg-nest and guiding the latter, said leg-rest control linkage including a leg-rest link pivot-ally mounted on said seat, and actuating means for elevating the leg-rest from a retracted position beneath the seat to an extended position forwardly of and substantially at the level of the front end of the seat when the body-supporting means moves through said first motion phase, and for maintaining the leg-rest in its extended position when the body-supporting unit is moved through the second motion phase, said actuating means comprising an actuating link pivotally mounted on the support frame and pivotally connected to said leg-rest link at an actuating pivot spaced below the pivotal mount of the leg-rest link on the seat, said actuating link rotating during the second motion phase substantially with said seat such that the actuating pivot moves in an arcuate path approxi mately concentric with the path of the pivotal mount of said leg-rest link on said seat.

-2. A multiple position reclining chair comprising a support frame, body-supporting means including a seat and back-rest mounted on the support frame for movement through a first motion phase from an upright sitting position to an intermediate, tilted sitting position, and through a second motion phase from said tilted sitting position to a fully-tilted position, a leg-rest, a leg-rest control linkage carrying the leg-rest and guiding the latter, said leg-rest control linkage including a leg-rest link pivotally mounted on said seat, said actuating means for elevating the leg-rest from a retracted position beneath the seat to an extended position forwardly of and sub stantially at the level of the front end of the seat when the body-supporting means moves through said first motion phase, and for maintaining the leg-rest in its extended position when the body-supporting unit is moved through the second motion phase, said actuating means comprising a single actuating link pivotally mounted on the support frame and pivotally connected to said leg-rest link at an actuating pivot located at a point beneath the pivotal mount of the leg-rest link on the seat, said actuating link extending downwardly and forwardly from its pivotal mount in the upright sitting position of the body-supporting means and turning upwardly during the first motion phase to raise said leg-rest link and move the leg-rest to its extended position, said actuating link rotating during the second motion phase substantially with said seat such that the actuating pivot means in an arcuate path approximately concentric with the path of the pivotal mount of said leg-rest link on said seat.

3. A multiple position reclining chair according to claim 2 in which said leg-rest control linkage also includes a second leg-rest link pivotally mounted on the support frame, and a pair of links pivotally mounted at spaced points on said leg-rest, one of said pair of links being pivotally connected to both leg-rest links, the other of said pair of links being pivotally connected to one of said leg-rest links at a spaced point thereon.

4. A multiple position reclining chair according to claim 2 in which said leg-rest control linkage also includes a second leg-rest link pivotally mounted on the seat at a point spaced forwardly of the first leg-rest link, and a pair of links pivotally mounted at spaced points on the leg-rest, one of said pair of links being pivotally connected to both leg-rest links, the other of said pair of links being pivotally connected to the second leg-rest link.

5. A reclining chair comprising a support, a body-supporting unit including a seat and a back-rest rigid with each other mounted on said support, a leg-rest, a leg-rest linkage carrying said leg-rest and operatively connected to the body-supporting unit for coordinated movement in response to movement of the body-supporting unit from a retracted position beneath the seat to an extended position forwardly of and substantially at the level of the forward end of the seat, a support bar, a first pivot mounting the rear end of said support bar on said support with the support bar normally resting in a fixed horizontal position, a depending extension on said seat, a second pivot mounting said extension on the forward end of said support bar for pivoting movement of said body-supporting means on said support bar along a first arcuate path of movement from an upright sitting position to an intermediate, rearwardly tilted position, a blocking member rigid with the support bar and positioned to engage said depending extension and limit further rearward pivoting movement of said body-supporting unit when the latter reaches said intermediate tilted position, said support bar thereafter pivoting rearwardly on said first pivot to move said body-supporting unit along a second arcuate path of movement from its intermediate tilted position to its fully tilted position, said leg-rest linkage including means to raise said leg-rest to its extended position when the bodysupporting unit is brought to its intermediate tilted position, and to maintain said leg-rest in its extended position when the unit is moved from its intermediate tilted position to its fully tilted position, said leg-rest linkage including a first link pivotally mounted on the support, a second link pivotally mounted on the seat, third and fourth links respectively connected to the free ends of the first and second links and pivotally connected to the leg-rest at spaced points thereon, and an actuating link pivotally mounted on the support and pivotally connected to an intermediate point on said second link.

6. A reclining chair according to claim 5 in which said leg-rest linkage also includes a stop member rigid with said third link and positioned to engage said second link when the leg-rest is brought to its extended position, said stop member locking the second and third links in their extended positions, whereby said leg-rest is maintained extended when the body-supporting unit is brought from its intermediate titlted position to its fully-tilted position.

7. A reclining chair comprising a support, a bodysupporting unit including a seat and a back-rest rigid with each other mounted on said support, a leg-rest, a leg-rest linkage carrying said leg-rest and operatively connected to the body supporting unit for coordinated move- 10 ment in response to movement of the body-supporting unit from a retracted position beneath the seat to an extended position forwardly of and substantially at the level of the forward end of the seat, a support bar, a pair of guiding links mounting said support bar on said support with the support bar normally resting in a fixed horizontal position, one end of each guiding link being pivot ally connected to the support, the other end of each guiding link being pivotally connected to a respective end of said support bar, a depending extension on said seat, a fixed pivot connecting the lower end of said depending extension to an intermediate point on the support bar for pivoting movement of the body-supporting means on said support bar along a first arcuate path of movement from an upright sitting position to an intermediate, rearwardly tilted position, a blocking member rigid with the support bar and positioned to engage said depending extension and limit further rearward pivoting movement of said body-supporting unit relative to the support bar, when the unit reaches said intermediate tilted position, said support bar thereafter moving rearwardly on said pair of guiding links to move said body-supporting unit along a second path from its intermediate tilted position to its fully-tilted position, said leg-rest linkage including means to raise said leg-rest to its extended position when the body-supporting unit is brought to its intermediate tilted position, and to maintain said leg-rest in its extended position when the unit is moved from its intermediate tilted position to its fully tilted position, said leg-rest linkage means comprising a first pair of links pivotally connected to the forward end of said seat at spaced points thereon, a second pair of links respectively pivotally connected to said first pair of links and pivotally connected to said leg-rest at spaced points thereon, and a guiding link pivotally mounted on said support and pivotally connected to an intermediate point on one of the links of said first pair of links.

8. A multiple position reclining chair comprising a support frame, body-supporting means including a seat and back-rest mounted on the support frame for movement through a first motion phase from an upright sitting position to an intermediate, tilted sitting position, and through a second motion phase from said tilted sitting position to a fully-tilted position, a leg-rest, a leg-rest control linkage carrying the leg-rest and guiding the latter, said leg-rest control linkage including a leg-rest link pivotally mounted on the seat and having an actuating pivot spaced from the pivotal mount of the leg-rest link on the seat, and an actuating link pivotally connected to said leg-rest link at said actuating pivot and having a pivotal mount on the support frame at a point located rearwardly of the pivotal mount of the leg-rest link on the seat in the upright sitting position, said actuating link extending forwardly toward the actuating pivot in the upright sitting position and turning continuously about its pivotal mount during movement of the body-supporting means and said pivotal mount and the leg-rest link on the seat moving toward the pivotal mount of the actuating link on the support frame during the first motion phase and away from the pivotal mount of the actuating link on the support frame during the second motion phase to locate said actuating pivot at three successive points corresponding to the upright sitting, intermediate tilted sitting and fully-tilted positions of the body-supporting means, said actuating link being located to position said points of location on a common circular arc whose center is located at the pivotal mount of said actuating link, the first point of location of said actuating pivot positioning said leg-rest link to locate the leg-rest in a retracted position beneath the seat when the body-supporting unit is in the upright sitting position, the second and third points of location of said actuating pivot positioning said legrest link to locate said leg-rest in an extended position forwardly of the seat and substantially at the level of the forward end thereof when the body-supporting unit is in its intermediate, tilted sitting position and fully-tilted position.

'9. A multiple position reclining chair according to claim 8 in which the line between the actuating pivot and the pivotal mount of the actuating link on the support frame is effectively co-linear with the line between the actuating pivot and the pivotal mount of the seat on the support frame during the second motion phase.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lorenz Feb. '19, 1957 Luckhardt Jan. 27, 1959 Lorenz Feb. 23, 1960 Fletcher June 14, 1960 Lorenz Aug. 9, 1960 Schliephacke Dec. 26, 1961 

1. A MULTIPLE POSITION RECLINING CHAIR COMPRISING A SUPPORT FRAME, BODY-SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING A SEAT AND BACK-REST MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORT FRAME FOR MOVEMENT THROUGH A FIRST MOTION PHASE FROM AN UPRIGHT SITTING POSITION TO AN INTERMEDIATE, TILTED SITTING POSITION, AND THROUGH A SECOND MOTION PHASE FROM SAID TILTED SITTING POSITION TO A FULLY-TILTED POSITION, A LEG-REST, A LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE CARRYING THE LEG-REST AND GUIDING THE LATTER, SAID LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE INCLUDING A LEG-REST LINK PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SEAT, AND ACTUATING MEANS FOR ELEVATING THE LEG-REST FROM A RETRACTED POSITION BENEATH THE SEAT TO AN EXTENDED POSITION FORWARDLY OF AND SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE LEVEL OF THE FRONT END OF THE SEAT WHEN THE BODY-SUPPORTING MEANS MOVES THROUGH SAID FIRST MOTION PHASE, AND FOR MAINTAINING THE LEG-REST IN ITS EXTENDED POSITION WHEN THE BODY-SUPPORTING UNIT IS MOVED THROUGH THE SECOND MOTION PHASE, SAID ACTUATING MEANS COMPRISING AN ACTUATING LINK PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORT FRAME AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID LEG-REST AT AN ACTUATING PIVOT SPACED BELOW THE PIVOTAL MOUNT OF THE LEG-REST LINK ON THE SEAT, SAID ACTUATING LINK ROTATING DURING THE SECOND MOTION PHASE SUBSTANTIALLY WITH SAID SEAT SUCH THAT THE ACTUATING PIVOT MOVES IN AN ARCUATE PATH APPROXIMATELY CONCENTRIC WITH THE PATH OF THE PIVOTAL MOUNT OF SAID LEG-REST LINK ON SAID SEAT. 